California's Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that he is adding millions to his state budget in anticipation of an influx out of state abortion seekers should Roe v. Wade be overturned by the United States Supreme Court.
"California will not stand idly by as extremists roll back our basic constitutional rights; we're going to fight like hell, making sure that all women – not just those in California – know that this state continues to recognize and protect their fundamental rights," Newsom said on Wednesday in a press release announcing his Reproductive Health Care package. "We're expanding access to these critical services, welcoming businesses and their employees fleeing anti-abortion states, and reaffirming our commitment to continuing to work closely with the Legislature and reproductive rights stakeholders to further solidify California's leadership on abortion rights."
Part of the $125 million package includes an additional $57 million to help fund people in states where abortion is restricted or banned to go to California to get their abortion.
That $57 million is in addition to the $68 million already in the state budget for the abortion issue, according to the state.
According to the release, the additional money for the package includes $40 million in grants for reproductive healthcare providers to render care to low- and moderate-income people, and those who do not have coverage for abortion, $15 million in grants providing medical and education and sexual health outreach, another $1 million to set up a state reproductive health website, and $1 million for reproductive research into relevant healthcare services.
The release said that the state is also offering incentives for individuals and businesses to relocate to California from states with anti-abortion or anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
State legislators are also working on a state constitutional amendment to formalize the right to an abortion there, the release said.
The announcements come as the United States Supreme Court seems poised to overrule the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a right nationwide.
In a leaked draft of the court's opinion regarding a Mississippi case, the majority opinion is that Roe, and the 1992 Casey decisions affirming the right to an abortion, should be overturned, and returned for the individual states to decide.
Politico reported the leaked draft opinion document written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito May 3, saying the high court "must" overturn the previous court decisions regarding the issue because no such right is guaranteed in the Constitution.
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